What’s Your Reaction to Unbelief?

12th Sunday after Pentecost, 8/27/17
Romans 9:1-5


What’s Your Reaction to Unbelief?
I. Is it personal anguish?
II. Is it love-filled outreach?


Have you noticed that a person’s religious beliefs have become a highly personal matter? You likely have. I could be wrong, but it seems to me that trend has coincided with the trend away from organized religion. Without a doubt, the number of people in our country who claim a religious affiliation is declining, but at the same time there’s been a rise in the number of people who claim to be spiritual, but not religious. And that fact poses a problem for the discussion of what a person believes. If a person claims a religious affiliation, you almost always have that affiliation’s doctrinal statements to use at least as a starting point for a discussion of what that person believes. But if they claim to be spiritual, you almost always have nothing in writing to react to. And that’s by design. Such a person usually has some degree of reluctance—if not out-right defiance—to letting someone or something define what they should and do believe.

In short, religion in our modern world tends to be highly subjective and personal, rather than collective and communal. That makes it more difficult to discuss religion.

That fact also presents challenges when trying to convince someone that absolute spiritual truth exists. Our modern religious climate bristles over Jesus’ claim, “I am the way and the truth and the light. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). So, while we might admire a person who is “spiritual” because they are outwardly good people, our Lord’s claim still stands firm, “No one comes to the Father except through me.”

So, how should we as a group of Christians react? The easiest reaction is to think nothing, care nothing, and do nothing. Since religion in our world is a personal thing, we have what we believe and the next person has what he or she believes and the conventional course of action is to let both stand. And that response might sit with us, for a while. But then we meet our Lord’s words to us through his Apostle Paul and we note what his reaction and encouragement were.

In these words from Romans 9 Paul recorded his reaction to what his fellow Jews by and large thought and felt about Jesus. In a word, he was filled with anguish. I’m sure he lost sleep over it. It consumed him. It drove him to make unbelievable attempts at sharing Jesus with them.

And as I look at his reaction, I can’t help but ask myself, “What’s my reaction?” Meeting together as we are, I then have to ask, “What’s yours?” What’s your reaction to unbelief? May the Holy Spirit fill us with godly concern and resolve to share our Lord’s salvation with one and all.

Part I.

I have two questions for you. The first is this: What’s your view of a person who tolerates Christianity but is not personally a Christian? You come into contact with such people every day of your life. No matter where you go, unless it’s here at church, you are dealing with and rubbing elbows with people who are not Christian. And in many cases you’re unaware of it. Their religious beliefs are unknown to you, and, since their beliefs are not germane to your situation at the moment, they remain unknown. In other cases, their religious beliefs are on display. I’ll mention just one example. Almost everywhere you go—grocery stores, schools, civic functions—you’ll see Muslim women who are conspicuous because of the head covering they wear. What’s your reaction to the fact that these people are not Christian as you are? It happens so often these days that I have to wonder: does it barely register on your spiritual radar anymore?

Now, how about this question: What’s your reaction to people who openly attack Christianity, either by their actions or their words? Well, I’ll share my reaction. I have little patience with them. I wish I wouldn’t have to listen to them or deal with what they do. I feel as if our world would be far better off without them. Are my reactions close to yours? And we defend our reactions. After all, these are people who hate our faith and our Savior, Jesus Christ.

But listen to the Apostle Paul’s reaction to the very same groups of people. “I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it in the Holy Spirit—I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, the people of Israel.” Do I need to mention the obvious? Paul is speaking about his fellow Jews. Every day of his ministry he was confronted with the fact that so many of his fellow sons of Abraham resisted, rejected and repulsed the faith of Abraham—that is, faith in the Savior, Jesus Christ. Did you notice how Paul felt? Deep sorrow and unceasing anguish. It buried the needle on his “spiritual concern” meter.

And it didn’t stop there. Notice how far Paul went. He stated, “I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers.” Paul uses a Jewish phrase from the Old Testament. To be “cut off” is to be condemned to hell. Consider that. Paul wished that he could go to hell instead of his fellow Jews. Is he exaggerating his reaction to drive home his point?

Not at all. That’s why he began by stating, “I speak the truth. I’m not lying.” Paul wants us all to know that he would take the place in hell for his people, that’s how deeply filled with anguish he is over their rejection of Jesus as their Savior.

Think about it for a moment. Can the same thing be said of you and me? Or, do we tend more toward indifference?

What’s your reaction to unbelief? Is it personal anguish?

Perhaps it has been. Perhaps it is. Someone close to you is heading down the wrong spiritual path. And it pains you deeply. It consumes your heart and mind. It fills your days and haunts your nights.

But what about nameless people? What about those whom you don’t know? Never met? Never will meet? Is your heart filled with anguish for them spiritually or are these people out of sight and out of mind? Do we even come close to the anguish Paul felt for those living without Jesus as their Savior? But let’s not idolize Paul as our example. It’s probably true that Paul agonized over the lost more than you and I do. But Paul wasn’t perfect and he never claimed to be. There is only one person whose heart was always field with perfect anguish over the lost. He stopped at nothing to rescue them. His anguish for them drove him to the cross. He’s your Savior, Jesus Christ. Our reaction to those in the darkness of unbelief will never be perfect. It will never be what Jesus requires. That’s why he suffered and died for us, for every sinner. He’s forgiven us, he’s redeemed us, he’s made us his own people to declare his praises before one and all. His love for us and for every sinner fills us with anguish over unbelief.

Part II.

Most of you know I’m a sports fan and I used to listen to sports radio as much as I could. But not anymore and there are several reasons for it. One of them is that I get so discouraged by wasted opportunities. It blows my mind how some of these athletes making millions of dollars a season will blow it all and lose their opportunity to play due to something petty in their lives or a momentary lack of discretion. What a waste!

You and I might have the same reaction regarding the Jews of Paul’s day and the golden opportunities of grace God showered on them. Paul lists the following: “Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ.” Humanly speaking, God gave his people advantages that no other people on the face of the earth had. They belonged to him in a special way. They saw his glory. They received the Torah—the first five books of the Bible— from God himself. They had his directions on how and where to worship him. They had Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Most of all—they had the promise that the world’s Savior would come from them. Incredible when you think about it! But by and large they wasted these advantages.

But you can use them! Just what do I mean? These advantages were gifts of God’s grace and mercy. In your anguish for those who don’t know Jesus as their Savior, share the grace and mercy of God. We have a God who doesn’t give us the punishment for our sins that we deserve. That’s mercy. Instead, we have a God who gives us a Savior from sin, a Savior who sacrificed himself for us. That’s grace. And that grace is for all. Love for sinners will move us to share that mercy and grace.

What’s your reaction to unbelief? Is it love-filled outreach with the mercy and grace of God?

That’s a painful question to consider, isn’t it? There have been times in my life when God was giving me the opportunity to share his mercy and grace with someone and I blew it, I wasted it. I let that person slip away without sharing what they needed to hear most. Has that ever happened with you? What should we do? Flee to the very Savior we failed to share! Flee to him for forgiveness and know that he gives it fully and freely. And then, as a forgiven child of God, know that he will give you or someone else the opportunity to reach out to that person out of love for Christ and love for them. And be certain of the fact that Jesus will use that witness to his glory.

So ask yourself: What’s your reaction to unbelief? As you live for Christ this week, may it be filled with God-pleasing anguish and Christ-centered love for the lost. Amen.